How to Get Along
by Mrs. Jean Grey-Summers
Summary: It's back to the begingings for Xavier's Institue for Gifted Youngsters and the Xmen. Starts with the recruitment of Scott Summers. Characters: Jean, Scott, Logan, Ororo, Prof. X, and Hank. Probably no romance, but if there was, it'd be Jott and Loro...
1. Meet Jean Grey

"Can I come?" Jean Grey asked from the door way to Logan's room.  
  
Logan looked up and regarded the red-headed 10-year-old. "How do ya know we're even goin anywhere?"  
  
"You and Ororo are all suited up... you MUST be going somewhere!" the girl answered.  
  
"Well, maybe Ororo and me are going to train."  
  
"Ororo and I." She corrected. Logan started walking out into the hall, her following.  
  
Logan scoffed. "You've been spending WAY too much time with Hank, squirt." Jean rolled her eyes. "And fer yer information, we really aren't going anywhere."  
  
"Don't lie to a telepath, Logan. It's demeaning." She crossed her arms. "Anyway, I heard that alarm on Cerebro go off. I know what that machine's for." They stopped in front of the door to her room.  
  
"You can't go."  
  
"Logan..." Jean whined. "Why can't I go? I saw the report. It's boy my age, isn't it?"  
  
"No, Jeannie. The kid could be dangerous. We already know he's unstable." She was annoying him and she knew it, but she really wanted to go.  
  
"I've been here for six months. If something happened, I could protect myself. Easy."  
  
"Yer not as invincible as ya seem to think! Ya couldn't handle yerself in a situation like that."  
  
"How would you know, if you never let me try?!" she yelled, going into her room and slamming the door. She locked it and went to lie down on her bed.  
  
"Jeannie..." Logan knocked on the door.  
  
"Go away." the mini-telepath replied.  
  
"Logan!" Ororo yelled up the stairs. "It's time to go!"  
  
"Coming, 'Ro!" He sighed. "I'll see ya when we get back, kid." With that he left.  
  
"They never let me do anything..." Jean muttered.  
  
+==+==+==+  
  
Author: Whoa! Anyone notice the Jean bashing going on today? My gosh, it's horrible! Why do all the Scouge fans have to bash Jean anyway? You don't see us Jott fans bashing Rogue. Well, there's the odd mention every once in a while, but as a whole we don't bash. Major scary! I wasn't planning on posting this until after the holidays, but I had to try put something out for the Jean fans. Sheesh...  
  
R/r 


	2. Meet Scott Summers

Scott Summers wandered down an alley. Well, he assumed it was an alley. He couldn't actually see it. He couldn't actually see anything for that matter. He settled down and decided to try and sleep.  
  
-  
  
"Were coming up on the place now." Storm said. "Logan?" she looked at the man when he didn't answer.  
  
"Hmmm? Sorry, 'Ro. Just thinkin'."  
  
"About your fight with Jean?" she asked.  
  
"How'd you...?" He looked at her suspiciously.  
  
She smiled. "You two aren't exactly the quietest two members of the household."  
  
Wolverine smirked. "Yeah, I guess not... She seemed real upset, 'Ro."  
  
"Jean will get over it. She just doesn't understand, that's all. Don't worry. Tomorrow, she won't even remember."  
  
The X-jet slowly landed in a clearing near the out skirts of a city in Alaska. The two X-Men got out and waited for a command from their leader. They didn't have to wait too long.  
  
~He is in an alley, just west of where you are. Count out 400 steps. You'll find him.~ Professor Xavier's voice rang in their heads.  
  
"Well, you heard the man. Let's start countin'."  
  
Four hundred and three steps later...  
  
"Do you think that's him?" Ororo asked.  
  
"I think we're about to find out." Logan answered, gesturing to the boy who was starting to stir.  
  
"Who's there?" the brown-haired boy asked. He was about Jean's height, maybe a little taller, definitely her age, and WAY too thin.  
  
"Hi. My name is Ororo Munroe. This is Logan. We're from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Are you Scott Summers?" Storm introduced.  
  
"I am." He replied. "Can we get to the point?"  
  
Ororo was a bit taken a back by the boy's forwardness. "Well, um... we have an offer for you."  
  
Scott got up and started to walk away, never opening his eyes. "Listen, I don't wanna be you and your husband's yearly charity. So thanks, but no thanks."  
  
Storm and Wolverine both blushed.  
  
"Umm... we're not- I mean- it's not like that..." Ororo stammered.  
  
"Yeah! And we're not saying that! We're here to talk to ya about yer... gift..." Logan added.  
  
"If you mean that fire eating trick I used to do on main-square, I don't do that anymore. I go burnt pretty badly. And for what? Some rich people's amusement. Sorry, but what ever it is, I don't wanna hear it." He started walking again.  
  
~Listen to them~  
  
"Who said that?"  
  
~They mean your eyes, Scott. Your powers. They know~  
  
"Where are you? Come out where I can see you!" Scott yelled.  
  
~They just want to help. Listen to them~ It commanded. And for some reason, he felt as if he had to obey.  
  
"Fine." He turned back to the two. "Why are you here?"  
  
"We're from a home for people like you; mutants. We're here because we want you to join our institute." Ororo explained.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" the boy asked.  
  
"Because we have gifts, too, Scott. We know what it's like. We're here to help. Trust us."  
  
"And if I don't like it?"  
  
"We won't force ya ta stay, kid. You c'n leave anytime." Logan answered.  
  
Scott shrugged. "Worth a try, I guess..." 


	3. Meet everyone else

Jean sat playing chess with Dr. Hank McCoy in the living room, Professor Xavier reading nearby. Jean had recently learned how to beat Hank fairly so it wasn't really a lot of fun for the doctor as of late, but he enjoyed her love for learning and still held out hope for out smarting the ten-year- old.  
  
She lifted her knight to take a pawn when she suddenly dropped it and got an odd look in her eyes. Hank watched her and was trying to decide whether or not to shake her out of it, when she shivered and spoke.  
  
"He's cold inside."  
  
"Who?" Dr. McCoy asked, Professor Xavier putting his book down to listen to the young redhead.  
  
She shook her head to pull herself out of her daze. "I'm sorry, Dr. McCoy. What was the question?"  
  
"Who's cold?"  
  
Professor Xavier smiled. "Logan and Ororo are back from their mission. Let's go out to the hanger and welcome them back."  
  
"Me too?" Jean asked.  
  
"Of course." Jean grinned happily and skipped along behind the older mutants.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
"We're here!" Ororo announced, pulling into the landing pad. "Home, sweet home." She noticed Logan fidgeting nervously. "Stop squirming. For the last time, she's probably forgotten all about your argument by now. Your going to scare our new student if you keep it up."  
  
They landed the plane and stepped out, greeted by the warm faces of their friends. Scott stepped out behind them timidly.  
  
"Ororo! Logan! You're back!" Jean yelled, cheerfully, grabbing the two's waists in a hug.  
  
Ororo leaned over to Logan and whispered, "Told you."  
  
He smirked.  
  
"Scott, this is Professor Charles Xavier, Dr. Hank McCoy, and Jean Grey. Guys, this is Scott Summers."  
  
"We've known you'd be coming for quite some time now, so I've had some time to research your powers. It turns out the only things that survived in the places that you've opened your eyes lately are things made of ruby quartz, like a statue at the orphanage, so I'd like you to try these on." Hank handed him a pair of red sunglasses. He put them on. "Go ahead, open your eyes. It's completely safe."  
  
He did, reluctantly. The first thing he saw was Jean. And she wasn't being blasted.  
  
Jean did a little curtsy with her purple skirt she was wearing. "Hello, Scott Summers. Nice to meet you."  
  
~Wow. She's beautiful.~  
  
Jean giggled, knowing the boy wasn't aware she was a telepath.  
  
"Yeah.. um... a... likewise, I'm sure... uh... Jean, was it?" She nodded and he turned back to Dr. McCoy. "This is great! Thank you SO much, sir!" Then turning to Professor Xavier, "And thank you, sir, for giving me a second chance." He extended his hand and shook the professor's.  
  
"You're very welcome." Charles answered. "Jean would you show Mr. Summers to his new room. It'll be the one across the hall from yours."  
  
Jean nodded. "Of course. Come on, Scott." She said, taking his hand and leading him away. When they passed Logan and Ororo, though, she stopped. "In case you were wondering, Logan, I'm still extremely upset with you." And they walked out of the hanger.  
  
"Spoke too soon." Logan sighed. 


	4. Meet Jean Grey's attitude

"...and this is your room." Jean finished, stopping in the hall that separated their rooms. She had decided to take the LONG way to showing him where his room was so that she could give him a tour of the whole mansion.  
  
"Wow... It all looks wonderful to me so far..." Scott said quietly.  
  
She giggled. "That's probably because it's the first thing you've seen at all in two years." He looked at her weirdly reminding her that he hadn't shared that information with her yet. Her happy face was gone in an instant. "Oh my gosh!" she said quickly. "I'm-so-sorry! I-didn't-mean-to-I- swear-but-I-don't-have-a-lot-of-control-over-it-yet-and-you-think-so-loud! Not-that-that's-a-bad-thing,-a-lot-of-people-do-its-just-that-its-probably- not-very-safe-around-"  
  
"Hey! Slow down!" He interrupted. "What the heck are you talking about? What don't you have control over? What's not safe?"  
  
She breathed. "I'm sorry. I guess you don't know yet. Wow. That must've made absolutely no sense to you..."  
  
"No," he admitted. "It didn't really."  
  
"Well... umm... You do know that everyone here is a mutant, right?" she asked.  
  
Actually, he hadn't put much thought into that particular fact, but he vaguely remembered the lady saying that. He nodded.  
  
"Okay... well, I'm a telepath. That basically means that I can read your mind and that if I wanted to, I could control your thoughts and actions." She winced, not knowing how he'd respond. "You can go now, if you want. Most people don't even want to be in the same room as me after they find out I could turn them into a vegetable with just a thought."  
  
He laughed. "Guess I'm not most people then."  
  
She smiled. "Does that mean you still wanna be my friend?"  
  
"Of course." Jean threw her arms around his neck in a hug. Reluctantly, Scott wrapped his arms around her, returning it.  
  
She pulled away after a moment. "Come on. It's almost dinner time and you don't exactly have anything to unpack, anyway." She said, taking his hand again and pulling him down the stairs again.  
  
/|\  
  
\|/  
  
Logan was pacing the room, Ororo sitting on the couch and Hank on an easy chair, watching.  
  
"Logan! Sit down this minute! She's a ten-year-old girl! What's the worst she could do?" Ororo exclaimed, getting tired from just watching him. He grunted and sat next to her on the couch.  
  
"'Ro, don't get me started on the damage that kid c'n cause. Need I remind you of the 'whipped cream incident' or the 'worm incident'?" Logan asked.  
  
Hank chuckled. "Aw, to be young again." Then, seeing the two children coming down the stairs. "Speak of the devil."  
  
Jean smirked. The, faking a hurt voice. "Dr. McCoy! You really shouldn't talk like that about Logan!"  
  
Hank smiled. "My dear, compared to you, Wolverine here is an angel."  
  
She laughed out loud at that. "Anyway, we just came down to see if dinner was ready." She said once she had calmed herself down enough to speak again.  
  
Ororo, smiling because Logan was so uncomfortable, answered her. "It should be soon. Why don't you set the table? It'll be good practice."  
  
Jean raised an eyebrow. "For my telekinesis or for when one day when I'm the one making the dinner and you're all old and playing bingo at the home downtown?" she asked with false sweetness.  
  
"Take your pick," Ororo answered dryly, used to the child's humor. "Now run along, I'm sure we can keep Mr. Summers entertained for a few moments while you dress the table."  
  
The girl smiled evilly at Logan and left the room.  
  
"Well, you two seem to be getting along well so far." Hank commented, meaning Scott and Jean.  
  
Scott nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty nice." He said, nonchalantly.  
  
"See, Logan? You're the only one afraid of her." Ororo laughed, patting his shoulder.  
  
He grunted. "Yeah, well, judging by the way he was actin' when we met 'im, I'd give him three days tops before he gets a taste of something like 'the pudding skins incident'." He smirked. "Take it from me, kid. DON'T make Jeannie angry. She's very inta the whole revenge thing."  
  
Scott smirked. "I am in SO much trouble..." Then he looked like he was deep in thought for a moment. "What's a 'pudding skins incident'?"  
  
The grow-ups all laughed. Surprisingly, Hank was the one who answered. "One day, after a particularly bad fight with all of us adults, Miss Grey covered everything in pudding skins. I believe she stayed up all night making them."  
  
Suddenly Jean's voice came into everyone's heads. ~Talking about me behind my back, are we? Tsk, tsk.~ They spotted her by the doorway. "And here I thought you were a smart bunch..."  
  
"Young lady, is the table set?" Ororo asked.  
  
"Yes, Ororo." Jean smiled. "Can we eat, now?"  
  
"Yes, I think we can." The older lady answered. "Is the Professor ready?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am, he is on his way as we speak." Jean replied. "I want to sit in between Scott and Logan." She stated pleasantly.  
  
"Umm... I think Hank wants ta sit by ya, right Hank?" Logan said.  
  
"Oh, it's quite okay, my friend. If the young lady wishes to be seated by you, then who am I to deny her?" Beast asked, smiling at Jean who grinned back.  
  
"Let's go," she grabbed Scott and Logan's hands. Ororo and Hank followed, laughing at the look on Logan's face.  
  
"Now, don't try anything funny, Red. You hear me?" Logan warned.  
  
She tilted her head to the side. "Why what ever do you mean, Logan?" 


	5. Meet Jean Grey's plan

The four male mutants and Jean sat down at the table and waited while Ororo brought out the dinner. It was chicken and mashed potatoes.  
  
"Finally, I'm starved. I haven't eaten all day." Logan stated as the white- hair woman put some onto his plate. "It looks great, 'Ro."  
  
"Yes. You better hurry up and eat yours," Jean said, smiling slightly too brightly.  
  
"On second thought, I'm not that hungry after all." Logan replied, leaning back in his chair and pushing his plate towards the center.  
  
Jean shrugged. "Suit yourself." She took a bite out of her own food.  
  
Scott looked at Jean for a moment before starting on his mashed potatoes hungrily.  
  
Ororo, Hank, and Professor Xavier shook their heads and started to eat.  
  
When the meal was almost over, Jean looked up at Logan happily. "Are you sure you don't want yours, Logan? It would be a shame for you to go hungry." He nodded. "Oh well. Some people just don't appreciate good cooking. May Scott and I be excused?"  
  
Professor X nodded. "Take your plates to the sink, Jean."  
  
"Of course." Jean answered, taking her dish in one hand and Scott's hand in the other. "Come on, Scott."  
  
They went into the kitchen.  
  
"What did you do to Logan's plate?" Scott asked once they were out of hearing range and the door had closed behind them.  
  
"Can you keep a secret?" Jean asked. He nodded. "Pinky swear?"  
  
He locked his pinky with hers. "Pinky swear."  
  
"Okay. I guess I can tell you." She took in a deep breath like she was going to say something important then exhaled. "Absolutely nothing." She answered, her eyes sparkling with laughter.  
  
"What?" Scott asked, surprised.  
  
"I did nothing. It's all in his head. The fear of what I might do will torture him for days. I won't have to do anything. He'll do it all for me." She stated.  
  
"The perfect revenge." He replied.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The perfect revenge. One that doesn't lead back to you in any way and inevitably destroys the enemy in the process." Scott said.  
  
She laughed. "Come on, Scott." She grabbed his hand and took him out of the room. He was starting to get used to traveling that way.  
  
-  
  
"Kids! Down time!" Ororo yelled up the stairs.  
  
"What's down time?" Scott asked. They were sitting in Jean's room, playing one of her videogames.  
  
"It's where we all change into our PJ's and spend some time in the living room together before bedtime." Jean answered, turning off her videogames.  
  
"But I don't have any pajamas." Scott replied.  
  
"Did you check your dresser?" Jean asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then don't say you don't." Jean said. "Now shoo so I can change."  
  
Scott left her room and went across the hall to his room. What the heck did that silly girl mean? Of course he didn't have any pajamas. The Professor could have known about his lasers ahead of time, but there was no way he knew Scott's sizes ahead of time.  
  
But sure enough, when Scott opened the top drawer, he found a set of gray and blue PJ's. The rest of the drawer was filled with boxers and socks. Actually, all of the drawers were filled with clothes and when he checked the closet, it, too, was filled. He quickly changed and went down the stairs.  
  
When he got to the living room, Jean and Hank were all ready immersed in a game of chess and the others were watching.  
  
"Who's winning?" he asked, sitting next to Ororo.  
  
"Jean is." She answered.  
  
"Jeannie always wins." Logan added, sounding very bored.  
  
"Always? Against all of you?" Scott asked.  
  
"Kid, if she can beat Hank, none of the rest of us stand much of a chance against her." Logan replied.  
  
Scott watched them play for about a half-hour before Jean pulled her queen back to her starting side.  
  
"She's toying with him," Scott stated, amazed. "If she had moved her queen to E5, she could have taken his king in two moves."  
  
Ororo and Logan looked over at Scott, clearly surprised.  
  
"You know how to play?" Ororo asked.  
  
"Sure. It was one of my family's favorite games before... the accident...." Scott trailed off.  
  
"Miss Grey, I grow tired of your games. Please, show mercy and finish me off," Hank said with a dramatic air.  
  
"If you insist." Jean said, moving her queen back to where it was.  
  
"I do." Hank replied, moving one of his knights to where he thought she would attack.  
  
"Checkmate." Jean said, placing her queen into position.  
  
"An honorable game, I must say." Hank congratulated, shaking her hand. Jean giggled and hugged him. They moved the pieces back to their positions.  
  
"I want to play her," Scott stated, standing up.  
  
"Are you sure?" Hank asked, taken aback. No one actually wanted to play against Jean, they'd lose. He only played because the only other person who'd play her was Prof. X and he knew that it wasn't much fun to play the same person over and over.  
  
"Yeah." 


	6. Meet a new friendship

"You're pretty good at this." Jean stated, moving her rook after a lot of thought. Her and Scott had been playing for over an hour now and neither one was making much head way.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself," Scott responded.

"It's bedtime, kids." Ororo stated, yawning.

"Aw, Ororo... Can't we stay up just a little longer?" Jean begged. "I wanna finish our game."

"Leave it there and finish it in the morning," Ororo replied.

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," Hank quoted. "Benjamin Franklin."

Sighing, Jean got up and smiled at Scott who stood as well.

"G'night everyone," Jean said sweetly. She turned to Logan with an angelic look. "Sleep tight." With that the young redhead wandered up the stairs. "Come on, Scott." She called, half-way up already.

Her new friend nodded to the adults and followed her out of the room.

"Don't you think you should let up on his punishment a little?" Scott wondered as he walked beside her toward their rooms.

"Nah," Jean said, waving in dismissal. "I'll give him a week before I tell him I forgive him. Who knows, I may come up with something even better."

The two soon reached the hall that separated their rooms.

"How was your first day here?" she wondered.

Scott thought about it for a second before nodding. "I think I'll like it here."

Jean smiled and opened her door.

"Good." She stated.

"Sleep tight, Red," he said with a teasing smile.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite, Slim," she replied with a reflecting expression.

They both went into their rooms and shut the doors.

'_Slim?_' Scott thought, his mind repeating the name that she had just called him. After a minute he smiled to himself. '_I definitely think I'm going to like it here._'

-\\--\\- Wow, that was a weird update for me... I think i'm going to be continuing this story now. Don't worry readers of the other ones, I haven't given up on most of them. 


End file.
